Page 413 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 10 February 2021
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We have done a lot of investigating and we are now doing that work. Mr Parton was part of those investigations when he attended the consultations on the development of the Housing Strategy. As I said, I want to thank Mr Parton for bringing these ideas forward again today. Many of these suggestions already formed part of the Housing Strategy and were part of that consultation process, as Mr Parton might recall.
My amendment outlines some of the responses that have already been occurring through the ACT Housing Strategy, including investigating shared equity and other housing models and the expansion of the community housing land tax exemption scheme which has been outlined in the budget.
The ACT Housing Strategy is an important blueprint for the government to guide actions for housing affordability across the whole continuum. The strategy led to our nation-leading investment in public housing, which will see 400 extra homes for Canberrans who need them and a further 1,000 dwellings renewed. I acknowledge the important role that community housing providers play in the Housing Strategy. That is evident across all of the five goals.
Working in partnership with community housing providers, we have been able to deliver some remarkable new programs over the last year in response to COVID-19. CatholicCare and Argyle are now funded to operate MacKillop House and the Winter Lodge to provide emergency accommodation for men, women and families. The housing first program Axial has been expanded to provide permanent housing and support to chronic rough sleepers.
The ACT government has also provided direct rent relief to community housing providers, with $2.2 million in assistance over the last six months to support providers and their tenants during what has been an incredibly challenging year. I have received reports from many in this sector about how this relief has been used to help tenants with extra support and services.
New mixed developments like Toolangi in Kaleen and Common Ground in Dickson, which is currently under construction, provide both social and affordable housing for eligible Canberrans. That social mix, creating vibrant and supportive communities, is a feature of the ACT Housing Strategy and something I am incredibly proud to be able to deliver on.
The ACT Housing Strategy will continue to guide the government on what needs to be done to address housing affordability in Canberra. We have already seen significant progress in the two years since it was released. There is, of course, far more that needs to be done. As I said, I want to thank Mr Parton for raising some of the ways that this can be achieved. I am particularly keen on Mr Parton’s reference to the rental subsidy for community housing providers. I invite Mr Parton and the Canberra Liberals to join with Labor and the Greens in calling on the federal government to extend and expand the National Rental Affordability Scheme that has been so important to increasing the supply of community housing here in the ACT and across the country.
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